First panda cub born in France gets name, blessing

Xinhua2017-12-05 10:21:00

Brigitte Macron (4th L), wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui (1st R), Former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin (2nd R) and Chinese Ambassador to France Zhai Jun (1st L, Rear) pose for photos during a naming ceremony of a panda baby in Saint-Aignan, France, on Dec. 4, 2017. Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, revealed the name of the panda baby, the first-ever cub born in the country, at a naming ceremony at a zoo in central France on Monday. Joined by Chinese officials, Brigitte Macron, who is also the new panda's godmother, announced that the four-month-old cub's name was Yuan Meng. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

PARIS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The first panda cub born in France on Monday got its name from its special godmother, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, along with the blessing of Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan.

Joined by Chinese officials, Brigitte Macron attended the naming ceremony at the Beauval Zoo south of Paris, and announced that the four-months-old cub will go by the name of Yuan Meng, which means "dream comes true" in Chinese.

In a congratulatory message, Peng said that she was pleased to select the name together with Brigitte and that the name carries the people's best wishes for the little panda and high expectations for the China-France friendship.

Pointing out that the panda is not only a national treasure of China but also an envoy and witness of the China-France friendship, Peng said Yuan Meng's birth embodies the bright future of bilateral relations, which are entering a new stage of development.

She conveyed her wish that the cub will grow up healthy and strong and bring more happiness to the French people, especially the children.

Born on Aug. 4, the baby panda had been referred to as "Mini Yuan Zi" after his father, Yuan Zi, who arrived in France with his female partner, Huan Huan, in January 2012.